ThinkAboutIt June 2017

Cosmo insensitivityAn article in Cosmopolitan magazine titled "How This Woman Lost 44 Pounds Without Any Exercise" received extensive backlash because the woman profiled lost the weight due to cancer. Cosmo changed the headline to: "A Serious Health Scare Helped Me Love My Body More Than Ever." It also edited out the second-to-last line in the article proclaiming, "Simone's weight loss success is proof that ANYONE can lose weight without breaking a sweat simply by eating more mindfully - no gym required."
Source: Page Six

Girl Scout troop of homeless girlsAll of the members of Girl Scout Troop 6000 live at the Sleep Inn, which is a New York City space that accommodates 100 homeless families. In the past, in other states, troops have formed in shelters, migrant worker camps and public housing. This is the first run by New York City, where children make up nearly 40 percent of the roughly 60,000 people in the city's primary shelter system.
Source: The New York Times

Good and bad news: women business owners Women start businesses at a rate five times faster than men - an average of 1,000 new businesses every day. In 2016, 11.3 million women-owned businesses provided nearly 9 million jobs and generated $1.6 trillion in revenue. Between 2007 and 2016, women of color launched nearly eight out of every 10 women-owned businesses.

In 2016, however, 5,839 male-founded companies received venture capital funding compared to 359 female-founded companies, according to venture tracker Pitchbook. When funded, they get less money - an average of
$77 million compared to $100 million for males, according to Bloomberg. And they get offered smaller loans for shorter terms at higher interest rates than men, according to lending site Fundera.
Source: USA Today

The discrepancy in voiceMore than 80 percent of Donald Trump's followers on Twitter are male. Women make up 86 percent of those making calls to Congress.
Source: ShareBlue

Violent athletes rejectedIndiana University will no longer allow student-athletes with a history of dating violence, domestic violence, rape, sexual assault or sexual violence to compete in the school's college athletics. The policy was created as a response to scandals involving college athletes across the country. For example: Plaintiffs in a Title IX lawsuit filed in January allege that Baylor University's football players committed 52 rapes in four years. Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon punched a woman during a confrontation, breaking her jaw, and returned to the team after a one-year suspension. He is expected to be an NFL draft pick in 2017.
Source: The Root

Sexual assault in schoolsA year-long investigation by The Associated Press uncovered 17,000 official reports of sexual assaults in U.S. K-12 schools over a four-year period, from fall 2012 to spring 2015. Federally funded colleges are required to track sexual assault report statistics, but elementary and secondary schools aren't required to track such data. Incidents - that include rape and forced oral sex to sodomy and unwanted fondling - often go unreported.

Student-on-student assaults were far more prevalent than adult-on-student cases.

About 5 percent of the sexual violence involved 5- and 6-year-olds. The numbers increased significantly between ages 10 and 11, and continued rising until age 14.
Source: Education World

Women pay for rape in multiple waysAmerican women who have been raped or sexually assaulted pay almost $1,000 in medical bills. The average amount for sexual assault-related treatment is $6,735, which is primarily paid by insurance providers. The Violence Against Women Act of 2005 includes provisions to ensure that survivors of assault cannot be charged for "rape kit" examinations, but they often need treatment for related issues not covered by the legislation. The findings were published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Source: The Independent